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On Friday, July 22, 2022, a family of three was fatally shot while they were camping in an Iowa State park. The victims were identified as 42-year-old Tyler Schmidt, 42-year-old Sarah Schmidt, and their six-year-old daughter Lula. Nine-year-old Arlo Schmidt was the only survivor. According to reports, the suspected gunman, Anthony Sherwin, also died from "self-inflicted" gunshot injuries.
The Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground, located in eastern Iowa, is a popular camping site. According to police, the bodies of the deceased family were found inside their tent.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said they responded to a campground shooting report around 6:30 a.m. Division assistant director Mitch Mortvedt confirmed that the three victims were related but could not provide a motive behind the killings.
"At about 6.23am this morning, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and DCI were notified of a triple homicide at the Maquoketa Caves State Park campground. Officers located three deceased bodies. Officers later found that a camper was unaccounted for. Following a search of the area, officers found the deceased body of Anthony Orlando Sherwin, 23, west of the park. Sherwin appears to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and there is no danger to the public."
Though authorities believe there is no further threat, the park remained closed on Friday as further investigations took place.
"He was known to be armed": Triple homicide draws attention to Iowa's non-existent gun regulations
Southern Iowa's popular camping site, Maquoketa Caves State Park, was the newest victim of America's gun violence surge. A child and her parents were fatally shot in the early morning hours of Friday. The gunman, 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin, later killed himself.
The park and a nearby children's summer camp had to be evacuated for safety reasons. Regarding the Nebraska shooter, division assistant director Mitch Mortvedt said:
"He was known to be armed. That of course heightened our awareness as well."
There are practically no firearm restrictions in Iowa, and it is legal to carry a gun anywhere. Police have said nothing about whether Sherwin had a firearm license.
House Bill 756, signed by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds in April 2021, went into effect in July of the same year. The new law did away with the requirement of a permit to buy a handgun or carry a concealed weapon within the state's borders. Chase Cejka, the owner of American Brothers in Arms, had said:
"It’s giving back a constitutional right without having to pay for a permit. So in the state of Iowa now you have to have a permit to even buy a handgun, we never felt that was right. You should be able to come in and do a background check and leave that day with that gun."
The Maquoketa Caves shooting is the third shooting in a public space in the state since 2022. Earlier this year, a 16-year-old was killed in a shooting outside East High School in Des Moines. In June, two university students were killed by a shooter outside Cornerstone Church in Ames.
